Beautiful Stranger
by JediFighterPilot2727
Summary: Tumblr Prompt for a Wayhaught fake dating AU turned into this! Hope you enjoy! Possibly upping it to M in future chapters.
1. Chapter 1

"This is exactly what you need to help you get over Champ!" Wynonna informed her as they stood in line for the club. "You need to get out and have a good time - forget about Mr. Rodeo."

"I was working on getting over him, that's what I was doing when you barged in." Waverly rolled her eyes - she and Wynonna obviously had very different ideas of a 'good time'.

"You had a book and a cup of tea; how was that going to help you get over a breakup?"

"I was enjoying what Champ couldn't offer me, like sophistication and a chance to learn something about the ancient Egyptians." She laughed at her own joke and shuffled forward as the line moved up.

"Yeah, pretty sure Champ wouldn't know anything about the Egyptians." Wynonna's head tilted to the side. "Actually I don't think I know anything about the ancient Egyptians either. But that's besides the point, Champ's dumb and you can do so much better."

"How many times do I have to tell you? Limited dating options."

"I know, I know. Small town with lots of Rev-heads. That's why we're here." She gestured to the non-descript building in front of them. "This the most hip club in the big city - lots of fresh meat."

"And that would be great if we could ever get in." The line in front of them was ridiculous and Waverly didn't see them getting through the door anytime soon.

"Watch this." Wynonna winked and drug Waverly forward, pushing through the crowd of people. She stopped in front of the bouncer and dropped Waverly's hand to lean forward conspiratorially.

"So, my sister here just went through a really bad breakup. Her boyfriend broke up with her over text message, can you believe that? We're here to dance the night away and make her forget about that douchebag, but that's not going to happen with this line. Is there anyway that you could help us with that?" Her eyelashes fluttered flirtatiously. "Please?"

"Two pretty ladies like you? I suppose I could go ahead and let you in." He unclipped the rope divider and winked at Wavelry. "If you need any help forgetting about that boyfriend, you know where to find me."

Wynonna pulled her through before she could respond, which was probably a good thing considering he might not have let them in after she said what she wanted to say.

The club was loud and dark, the only light coming from the flashing neon strobe lights on the dance floor. Not exactly what Waverly had had in mind for her night, but she supposed it would do. At least she was out of Purgatory for a bit, as much as she loved her little town, the place could be a bit suffocating at times. She tugged Wynonna down to yell in her ear.

"You know I broke up with Champ, right? No the other way around?"

"Yeah, but 'She finally realized her high school sweetheart is an dick and threw his ass to the curb' doesn't get you as much sympathy as 'He broke up with her over text message.' Now come on! Shots and then dancing!"

Waverly was having more fun than she would admit. Wynonna may have issues, but she certainly was a good time. She had no qualms about shaking her ass all over the dance floor, and she made sure her sister didn't either. Waverly didn't think she had danced this much in her life - outside of her apartment anyway- and it actually was pretty enjoyable.

There had been no shortage of male attention either, and while she wasn't exactly raring to get back out in the dating pool - or into bed with someone- , she couldn't deny that the attention felt nice. It was a relief to be out of Purgatory, to no longer be just another Earp whose family name put a severe damper on her prospects for a love life.

Wynonna was an unstoppable force fueled by whiskey, her stamina built up from years of bad decisions; but Waverly tired much more easily. The club scene in Purgatory was nonexistent, so she was more used to the laid back atmosphere of Shorty's bar, not to mention that she rarely went there when she wasn't working anyway. Besides, dancing made a girl thristy, and so Waverly found herself standing off to the side of the bar, nursing a glass of water as she watched the activity on the dance floor.

Suddenly, warm breath was on her ear and she tensed, waiting for the inevitable pick-up line.

"Okay, don't freak out, but there's a guy over there that keeps staring and you and to be honest, he seems a little creepy."

The woman's voice was barely loud enough for Waverly to hear over the din of the club, but she immediately began scanning the room for the stalker.

Sure enough, there was Champ in a crowd of his buddies; looking over at her with a nasty looking smirk on his face. She groaned loudly before turning to thank the kind stranger for the heads-up. Her eyes drifted up, up, up until they were met with what was quite possibly the most beautiful face she had ever see. The intended words died in her throat as she stared dumbly at the woman in front of her. Luckily, the woman didn't notice the stars in her eyes (or she was kind enough to ignore them), and smiled down at her, dimples popping in her cheeks.

"I take it you know him?" She bent down to yell the words in her ear, and Waverly found herself enveloped in the smell of her crisp perfume.

"Yeah, ex-boyfriend." she yelled back.

"Seems like a real charmer!"

Waverly rolled her eyes.

"Something like that!"

"Don't look now, but he's coming this way."

Waverly felt her shoulders drop. She was having such a good time and of course Champ had to ruin it.

"Do you wanna get outta here?" The stranger offered before hurriedly adding. "Just to get away from creeper over there."

"Yes! Please!"

She left her empty glass on the counter, and the stranger led her out of the back door of the club; one hand placed protectively on Waverly's back. The night air was refreshingly cool after the heat from the mass of bodies in the club, and her ears quickly adjusted to the quiet. But just when she thought they were home free, Champ's voice called out after them.

"Waverly!"

She turned to the kind stranger, eyes pleading.

"Can you do me a favor? To get rid of him?"

"Anything."

"Kiss me?"

Her buzz was long gone, so the only excuse for her sudden boldness was the intoxicating stare of those brown eyes. As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt a wave of nerves overtake her.

 _You can't just ask strangers to kiss you, Waverly, now she probably thinks you're crazy._

But then the stranger's lips were on hers and every thought of self-doubt fled her mind.

Wow.

Waverly had always thought that Champ was a pretty good kisser; but as it turned out, she was wrong.

Very, very wrong.

The helpful stranger used her body to press Waverly against the wall of the club, and she gasped, opening herself up to the taller girl's sweeping tongue. One hand on gripped tightly on Waverly's waist, and the other rested on the wall by her head. She quickly lost herself in the kiss, all coherent thought long gone.

She wasn't sure how long passed before Wynonna's voice interrupted her bliss.

"Babygirl! You out here?!"

The stranger pulled back, her face confused, and Waverly felt the need to explain.

"My sister."

"Ahh. Is she gonna kick my ass?"

There were those dimples again.

"Hey, what are you doing out here?"

Wynonna stopped in front of them, eyes darting back and forth between the two women.

"Champ decided to show up so she was helping me get rid of him."

"Who are you?" That was the ever eloquent Wynonna. But the stranger took it in stride, extending a hand to the elder Earp.

"I'm Nicole, Nicole Haught."

Wynonna eyed her suscpiciously but shook the offered hand.

"Thanks for helping my sister." She turned to Waverly. "Wave, we gotta go- Dolls called us in."

Normally, Waverly would be excited at the prospect of top secret Black Badge work, but she couldn't help but feel disappointed. She hadn't realized it until this very moment, but had been hoping to spend more time with Niocole, not chase down revenants. She turned to her knight in shining armor.

"Thank you, you saved me from a very uncomfortable encounter."

"My pleasure."

Those magnificent dimples made another appearance and Waverly felt her regret grow.

She didn't have time to dwell on it though, as she felt herself being dragged down the alley way towards the street.

"Wait, what's your name?" Nicole called out, smile still lighting her face.

"Waverly! Waverly Earp!"

"Have a good night, Waverly Earp!"

That drawl did things to her that she didn't really have time to analyze, and even as she was pushed into the driver's seat, she couldn't help but wonder where the night might have led if Wynonna hadn't showed up.

"You okay, babygirl?" Wynonna's voice broke through the silence of her musings.

"Yeah, yeah just rattled by seeing Champ. What did Dolls say?"

And just like that, the night moved on. Back to Purgatory. Away from pretty strangers.

But it was probably for the best, it wasn't like she'd ever see Nicole Haught again anyway.


	2. Chapter 2

**As always, comments and critiques make my day!**

Waverly wasn't gay.

Or at least, she had never really had the opportunity to be gay.

There weren't really that many women in Purgatory that fit in her age range, and most of the ones who did were, well, for lack of a better word - bitches. Save for Chrissy Nedley, she didn't have many girls in town that wanted to be her _friend_ , much less _girlfriend_. If they were older than her, then they knew Wynonna. and if they knew Wynonna, then they were convinced that the entire Earp family was crazy. Even if they were closer to Waverly's age, they had still heard about Wynonna, and considered Waverly crazy by association. Honestly, most of her life she had felt like she was under a microscope, the whole town watching to see when she would crack, when she would live up to her Earp name.

So she made it her goal to be the friendliest, nicest, person she could be. She endeared herself to the people of Purgatory. She was the success story. The lovable bar maid with the tragic past. Still, even if she had most people in town convinced that she wasn't going to suddenly go bonkers and turn out like Wynonna, kids her age still didn't exactly fall over themselves to be her friend. She was a geek, a nerd; the girl who spent her free time buried nose deep in books that most other kids couldn't even read.

So between Purgatory's minimal population, Waverly's family history, and her own penchant for the ancient and paranormal, her friend options were minimal. Boyfriend options were even more limited - it was well known around town that Champ was the only one stupid enough to date an Earp - and that meant girlfriend options were non- existent.

It wasn't that Waverly had sat down one day and thought about who she found attractive, she hadn't really had time. Maybe while watching television of movies, she had sometimes found other women attractive, but certainly never in real life.

Never had she ever had a girl standing in front of her and thought 'wow'.

At least not until two weeks ago when a gorgeous redhead had saved her from an unbearable Champ.

Nicole Haught - if that was even her real name - was definitely crush worthy.

Looks alone, she was gorgeous, but paired with the fact that she had gone out of her way to help save Waverly from unwanted attention?

Absolutely swoon-worthy.

And that's how Waverly found herself at 10AM on a Wednesday, distracted by a girl she had barely met. It had been two weeks since that night in the club, but she hadn't really had any time to process what had happened, not with Wynonna's quest for the Seven taking up most of her time.

She had gone through a lot of change in the past month - Curtis dying, Wynonna coming back to town, Black Badge getting involved with the Earp curse, and breaking up with Champ. Now she had to deal with the weird bubbly feeling that fluttered in her stomach when she thought about the mysterious redhead. Luckily, she had been able to avoid Champ and the subsequent conversation about what he had seen.

Thank god for that.

Because she didn't even really know what to tell herself, much less her ex-boyfriend.

She wiped down the bar top a little too vigorously, letting some of her frustration out on the wooden surface. The bar in general wasn't the cleanest place in the world, and Wynonna's run-in with the demon last night hadn't helped any. She moved on to the beer taps, wiping them clean when suddenly she found herself being sprayed in the face with Bud Light.

Shit.

Shorty really needed to fix that.

Like she wasn't already having a tough enough morning, now she got to add 'soaked with beer' to her list of troubles.

"I didn't know Shorty's had wet t-shirt competitions." A voice laughed from the doorway and she froze.

No fricken way.

That drawl was unmistakeable. Granted, she never thought she would hear it again; but still she knew exactly who it belonged to. Sure enough, she looked up to see the mystery redhead leaning against the door jab in a sheriff's deputy uniform, twirling a white Stetson in her hands.

Holy cow.

If she had thought the other girl looked good in skinny jeans, it didn't hold a candle to how she looked in uniform.

Damn.

She suddenly found it very difficult to keep air moving in and out of her lungs.

"You OK?"

 _Totally fine, just you know, thinking about how I might be gay for you, and how I'd probably never see you again._

"Yeah? Yeah! Just, uh a bit jumpy."

 _Because you showed up at my bar._

"Had a crazy night." She continued, scrambling to grab a towel off the bar and pat her shirt.

"Sorry I wasn't here to see it."

 _Dimples?! She didn't remember those from the other night._

The officer extended her hand across the bar.

"I've been, uh I've been meaning to stop by."

Waverly wasn't trying to be rude, she just physically couldn't speak. But the other girl's face still fell almost imperceptibly.

"I'm Nicole? Nicole Haught?"

Waverly's jaw went slack.

"That's your real name?"

The words tumbled up before she could stop them and she winced. To her utmost joy, Nicole laughed.

"Excuse me?"

"I thought - this is really stupid- but I thought maybe you gave my sister a fake name."

"A fake name . . ."

"I mean, she can be scary; I'd probably give her a fake name. And 'Haught'? What kind off last name is that? A hot girl saying her last name was 'Hot' just seems fake."

"Well, Waverly Earp, if you weren't such a popular girl around here, I might have thought you had given me a fake name too. I haven't heard the name 'Earp' since history class."

"That's me, queen of the smile and wave!" She raked her eyes over the taller woman, taking in the uniform and the Stetson that was now resting on the bar. "What's up with the . . . uniform?"

"I'm the new rookie Sheriff's deputy. I started a few days ago, mostly filling out paperwork and getting the grand tour so far."

"Yeah, I remember Sheriff talking about a new rookie."

They locked eyes for a long awkward moment.

"Can I get a cappuccino to go?"

 _What?_

Nicole motioned to the espresso machine across the bar.

 _Oh!_

"Oh, I'm really sorry. Um, we're not actually - open yet, so -"

Waverly twisted the towel in her hands nervously. Was Nicole just going to ignore what had happened two weeks ago?! I mean she'd had Waverly pressed up against a wall with her tongue in her mouth for pete's sake!

"Oh! Right! My bad!" The officer splayed her hands and shrugged. "To be honest, I found out you worked here and I didn't really wanna wait to see if it was really you. And you know, your door was open"

Nicole winked, and Waverly shivered - maybe because her shirt was still soaked, but probably because having Nicole so close was doing things to her.

"Oh, God, I'm sopping wet." She rambled to cover her nerves, but dropping the double entendre didn't exactly help. "You know, I keep telling Shorty he needs to fix the taps." She was pretty sure that she had never seen someone as interested in barkeep talk as Nicole was at this moment and she felt even more unnerved as she racked her brain for ways to get Nicole to stop staring at her with those big brown eyes.

"If you could just-" she twirled her finger at the other girl. "Sorry, do you mind just, uh-" She mimed covering her eyes with her hands and Nicole's face relaxed in understanding.

"Oh! Yeah! Yeah, sure!" Nicole graciously turned, offering Waverly relative privacy.

She took a moment to compose herself- not that it really helped, because her heart still pounded in her chest and her palms were ridiculously sweaty. She turned away from Nicole - _out of sight, out of mind_ \- and reached for the bottom of her tank top, pulling it over her head.

At least, she tried to pull it over her head.

Somehow, between her shaking fingers and the beer soaked material, the shirt stopped halfway over her head, effectively trapping her.

"Uh, umm, uh, officer? I'm stuck."

Geez talk about looking clumsy in front of your crush.

"Let me help you." She felt Nicole's presence close in, and soft fingers brushed her arm, tugging the material away. "I got you."

Her stomach fluttered as their eyes met, and she felt the word vomit coming up.

"Good thing you're not some stranger, right, or this would be really, really awkward."

There were those dimples again, severing any ties Waverly might have had with effable thoughts.

"Uh, Um I-I owe you one." Even though Nicole's eyes didn't wander, she felt the need to cover herself, and she wrapped her arms around her half naked torso.

"Alright, well, how about you buy me that cup of coffee?" Brown eyes sparkled. "How about tonight?"

Coffee?! Tonight?! With Nicole?! Who made her emotions a complete mess?!

"Oh, I can't."

"No?"

The officer looked disappointed and to be honest, Waverly _felt_ disappointed, but she still didn't trust herself to say yes.

"No. I mean, I'd love to," - slow down, Waves - "Like, _like_ to, uh but I have plans."

"Plans?"

"Yeah. I'm a planner." _Really?!_ "I like to know what I'm doing at least two or three days in advance."

Nicole didn't seem discouraged at all.

"So Friday then?"

"I- I - I just got out of a relationship."

There, that said she needed some space without completely writing things off. Right? Maybe it seemed too eager.

"With a boy. A man. A boy-man"

That's way better, she thought sarcastically; make it seem like you're a hundred percent confident in your heterosexuality, like you're not interested in her at all. Ten minutes ago, you were ready to read every article on the internet about liking girls, but sure, talk about your ex-boy-man.

She needn't have worried, Nicole just laughed.

"Right, the club stalker. I've been there - it's the worst." Something told Waverly she wasn't referring to the situation with Champ specifically, but rather the conflicting emotions that were currently fighting for space in her very fragile psyche.

"Well, some other time then." Nicole smiled as she placed her business card on the bar top, and all hope was not lost. "I mean it."

The words were spoken with a promise, and Waverly felt the weight of them, the possibility.

Nicole turned, placing her Stetson back on her head, and winked. Effectively nailing the final nail in Waverly's coffin.

She watched the other woman leave before picking up the card and brushing the the worn paper thoughtfully with her fingers.

"Officer Haught. Of course."

 **Much more to come! We'll see where these two end up!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N : Waverly realizes some things and takes a leap.**

 **As always, Comments and Critiques make my day!**

"Hey, did you see your girlfriend moved to town?" Wynonna's voice was teasing as her fingers tickled Waverly's leg where it rested over the arm of her camp chair.

Waverly nearly dropped the beer that she was holding.

"What?"

"Your girlfriend? Tall, red hair, killer smile, kinda looks like the human version of a puppy?"

"Uhhh. . . "

"Oh come on, if a girl kissed me like that, I think I'd remember her."

"No, I - I definitely remember her. When did you find out she was here?"

"Mmm, yesterday? I guess? She came in the Black Badge Office about something, Dolls threatened her with treason."

"He threatened her with treason?"

"Yeah, he's weird like that, you get used to it."

"So you knew she was here and you didn't tell me?"

"Well I figured you knew, you guys seemed pretty close."

Waverly gazed at the fire in front of them, the way it crackled and popped.

If Waverly thought she was going to have time to adjust to the idea of living in the same town as her new crush, she was dead wrong.

She had been so wrapped up in Bobo and finding the talisman that she had devoted exactly zero brain power to figuring out what exactly she was going to do about her little problem.

And by little problem, she really meant her colossal sized crush on Purgatory's hottest new deputy.

Okay, so Nicole was just the hottest deputy period, no competition, but that clarification didn't actually help Waverly in her dilemma, it just made it worse.

"You okay there, babygirl? You kinda zoned out on me. Officer Haught-stuff not tell you she was coming to town?"

"Huh? No, she - she stopped by the bar."

"And? Was it weird? I mean you guys fake made out in front of Champ and then she just shows up at your bar?"

She loved Wynonna, she did, and she knew that Wynonna would love her, no matte what - but she wasn't sure she was ready to air all her feelings out in the open.

"Nah, it wasn't too weird, didn't even mention the making out at all actually."

"Really?"

"Nope, just a regular old conversation."

"Wow, that's impressive! Hey, who knows, maybe you guys will be like best friends! Wouldn't that be something? Two girls brought together in the pursuit of taking down the douchebag that is Champ Hardy. Good, this is good, you need a friend that isn't an Earp hater. Nicole seems like a nice chick."

"Yeah, really nice."

"You sure you're okay?"

"Huh? Yeah I just, uh, I'm gonna go finish up some of that research for Dolls."

"Alright, just shout if you need me to help translate some Latin." Wynonna laughed at her own joke, and Waverly pressed a quick kiss to her sister's cheek before heading inside.

After copious amounts of late night internet research, she had come to the decision that she was pretty gay.

Or at least gay for Nicole.

She was a researcher, a planner; and knowledge made her feel safe, feel sane.

Unfortunately, all that sapphic knowledge did little to help her when she actually ran into the Sheriff's Deputy again. Nicole hadn't even set foot in the Black Badge office and she could already feel the blush creeping up her neck.

To be honest, she wasn't sure what Nicole actually said. Red lips were moving around perfect teeth, brown eyes sparkled, and she did hear when Dolls told her he was through with her, but that's only because he broke up her internal monologue on how the two buttons popped look worked really well with Nicole's collar bones. She felt a flash of frustration at being so summarily dismissed, but then those dimples were popping as Nicole grinned at her and her heart felt like it was going to either bound out of her chest or stop all together-

"Waverly? Can I talk to you for a second? I'll walk you to your car."

She startled for a moment when she realized that Nicole was talking to her.

"Talk - to - me?"

"If that's okay?"

"Yeah, no - yeah I mean yeah, sounds great."

She was so focused on the way Nicole's eyes filled with concern that she completely missed the look that Wynonna cast between the two of them.

Nicole held the door for her and she brushed past, trying desperately to ignore the sparks that ignited on her skin where they touched. She didn't get any relief though, because Nicole's hand settled on her back, gently guiding her out to the parking lot.

"So I thought we might need to talk about what happened that night at the club."

"Oh?" Her pulse pounded in her ears. Was she ready to have this conversation? "So you do remember making out with me at the club."

"Of course I remember, how could I forget?"

"Well, you didn't mention it at the bar the other day."

"I didn't want to make it weird? Should I have mentioned it?"

They had made it to Waverly's Jeep, and Nicole propped up against it,left elbow resting on the hood of the vehicle, right hand holding onto her belt buckle. If there was any doubt in her mind about being sexually attracted to girls, it all went flying out the proverbial window.

"I - no? I don't know? I've never pretended to make out with someone before. I don't really know the protocol."

"I don't think there is a protocol." Nicole whispered conspiratorially.

"Oh, well, why do I need to remember making out with you? Other than the fact that you're a really good kisser?"

Nicole's dimples popped again as Waverly cringed inwardly. What was it about this girl that brought about the word vomit?

"Champ Hardy, aka boy-man, stopped me yesterday and started asking if we were a couple."

Uhoh, there was the dreaded run-in with Champ. She was really hoping that he had forgotten what had happened that night.

"What did you say?"

"I didn't really say anything, I wasn't sure what you would want me to say."

"Oh."

"Also, in case you didn't know, Champ's a raging homophobe."

"I didn't know that, but I can't say I'm surprised. He's not exactly the most open minded person."

"Yeah, I can see why you broke up with him."

"There's a whole list of reasons, trust me."

"So anyways, what the official story about what happened? Mistaken identity? One night fling?"

 _What?_

"What?"

"Well I didn't figure that you would wanna say that you just met me in the club and started making out with me to get rid of Champ. Unless you do wanna say that, in which case it's totally fine. I guess me moving here kinda threw a wrench in your plans."

"Wrench?"

 _That's great Wave, just repeat everything the girl says._

"I just mean you probably didn't expect the random stranger you fake made out with in a club to move to your hometown."

"Oh, yeah, not really."

That part had actually turned out way better than she had hoped.

"It's your call, I'm down for whatever you want to tell people."

Maybe it was the brown eyes staring into her soul, maybe it was that disarming smile, maybe it was her newfound revelation that she totally had the hots for this girl; but whatever the reason for her next words, she was forever amazed that she actually had the balls to say them.

"Maybe we could just pretend?"

"Pretend?"

"Pretend to dat, I mean, we totally don't have to; I just thought maybe it would make things easier for both of us. I'd get Champ off my back about getting back together, and you- well the whole town loves me, so if you're with me then it would make them accept you faster. Plus I don't know about you but I could always use a new friend. And then when we're ready we can just break it off amicably. Stay friends."

"So, you wanna fake date."

"If that's what you wanna call it."

"Fake or not, people are still going to think you're gay, are you okay with that? I mean I know small towns can be . . . judgmental."

"That's a nice way of putting it, but trust me; I've seen the worst this town has to offer- I'll be okay."

 _Besides, they had probably better get used to her being gay._

Nicole seemed to mull the idea over before speaking.

"So you want me to become friends with, and fake date, the prettiest girl in town?"

Waverly nodded.

"What's the catch?"

She stuffed down all of the internal voices screaming at her that this was a horrible idea and instead offered Nicole her best winning smile.

"I'm sure there's one somewhere, I just haven't figured it out."

"Well then, sign me up!"

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. When can I pick you up for our first fake date?"

"Tomorrow?"

"I thought you were a planner? At least two to three days notice?"

"I'm living on the wild side today."

"I gotta go back in before Nedley sends out a search party, but do you still have my card?"

"Yep."

"Great, just text my number on there and we can set something up."

"Sounds good! Thanks, again, for doing this."

"Pretty sure by the end of this, I'm gonna be the one thanking you."

Waverly blushed at that, and her grinned widened as Nicole opened the driver's side door for her.

"I'll see you soon, Waverly Earp."

"Goodbye, Officer Haught."

Nicole winked and waved before jogging back to the precinct.

Waverly was halfway home before her heart rate slowed to normal.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Catching things up from Nicole's perspective!**_

Nicole absent-mindedly chewed on the tip of her pen. She was on Nedley duty today, which meant that he had her listening to the radio, ears alert for any hint of anything interesting going on around town. The Sheriff seemed a little obsessed lately with dealing with odd goings on before Agent Dolls found out about them. Or maybe he was always like this, she hadn't really been around long enough to know his usual routine. He seemed like a nice enough guy to have for a boss, despite his consternation about having a rookie deputy on the force.

She still remembered his speech on her first day.

 _He went over all the general orientation rules and regulation, but then at the end he put his hands on her shoulders, looked her dead in the eye, and said in a very grave voice-_

 _"Be careful out there, Haught. Lotta stuff in this town that'll get ya killed, and you know what happens if you die?"_

 _She shook her head._

 _"If you die, I have to fill out a shit ton of paperwork, on top of calling your parents and letting them know that I let their little girl get killed on my watch. All that while trynna train a new rookie deputy to replace you. Now do you think that any of that sounds like it would make me a happy camper?"_

 _"No, Sir."_

 _"Now do you wanna keep me happy?"_

 _"Yes, Sir."_

 _"Then don't fuckin' die on me, Haught."_

 _"I'll be sure to add 'Don't Die', to my list of things to remember, Sir."_

 _He had stared at her for a long moment before clapping her on the back._

 _"I like you , Haught. I think you'll fit in just fine around here. Now, let's go out to your patrol car, regulations say I have to make sure you actually know how to drive the damn thing before I hand over the keys."_

She liked the Sheriff. He was a little . . . unconventional. And she wouldn't say lazy exactly, but he was definitely just coasting through until retirement. They had driven around town, and he had pointed out various landmarks and people to watch out for.

 _"See that girl there?" He pointed to a beautiful girl helping a older lady cross the street. "That's Waverly Earp, one of the nicest girls in town. Her sister Wynonna, on the other hand, is a real hell raiser."_

Her heart had stopped at his words, and her palms had gotten so sweaty that it was hard to hold onto the steering wheel.

The sign on the way into town had declared Purgatory 'The historical home of Wyatt Earp', but she hadn't really thought much about it

Earp.

 _"Waverly! Waverly Earp!"_

What were the chances that the beautiful stranger at the club had given her real name?

And what were the chances that she was actually a descendent of Wyatt Earp?

Even more unlikely, what were the chances that she still lived in the town that her great great grandfather had called home.

Nedley had also told her that Waverly worked down at Shorty's - the best, (only), bar in town.

t took a few days for her to build up the courage to go into Shorty's, she wasn't exactly sure what Waverly's reaction would be to seeing her. Maybe she wouldn't even remember her.

All things considered, the meeting in the bar had went better than she expected. Waverly had looked even more gorgeous than she remembered, despite her soggy tank top, and frankly, Nicole was lucky she managed to get any coherent words out at all, the way her heart was pounding out of her chest.

She didn't get a date, but she clearly had Waverly interested, so maybe there was some hope.

Then she had run into Champ Hardy, Waverly's ex-boyfriend stalker from the club. He had asked if they were dating, and she couldn't exactly say no, because where would that leave Waverly? She couldn't exactly say yes either though, so she got out of there as quickly as possible without confirming or denying anything; not, unfortunately, before Champ called her "a dyke lesbian".

So much for progress.

She felt compelled to tell Waverly about the incident, and she was more than surprised when she suggested fake dating as a solution.

She wasn't sure how that was going to work out - fake dating the girl that she actually wanted to date - but she was willing to give it a shot. She was nothing if not charming, and she highly suspected that Waverly wasn't entirely opposed exploring their relationship.

She'd have a chance to get a better feel of things on their 'not date' tonight. She grinned thinking about it. Waverly had texted her last night and suggested they meet at the town's little Italian restaurant that tripled as a pizza parlor and sandwich shop. Nicole didn't know the town very well, but it sounded as good a place as any, so she agreed, promising to be there at 7:30 sharp. Her shift didn't end until seven, so she wouldn't have time to change out of her uniform beforehand, but she had a feeling that might work in her favor.

Her grandfather used to always talk about soulmates, and how when he had met her grandmother, he had known from the start that she was it for him.

 _"When you meet the one, you know, Nic, you just know. That's why I've spent the past sixty years of my life trying to make sure that your grandmother knows I love her. I knew from the moment I met her that it was meant to be. And when you meet the right girl, you'll know."_

Call her crazy, hell she probably was, but there was just something about that girl. Ever since those first few moment in the club, she had felt a connection. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, it was like a weird sense of deja vu. She hadn't been around Waverly very long, but it was as if she had known her forever. Those eyes, it was like they could see straight to her soul. And that smile, god what she wouldn't do for that smile.

And that's how she found herself at the Purgatory Sheriff's department front desk, half listening the radio, half thinking about Waverly's smile.

The radio on the desk crackled to life, startling her out of her daydreams.

"We've got a report of shots fired, I repeat; shots fired, down at the surplus store on Maple Street. All available officers please respond."

Shit. Shit, shit, shit. This was her first real life call. Her first anything, really. Besides the two speeding tickets she had written yesterday, she hadn't gotten to use her badge much.

But now, there were shots fired, and she was an available officer, and . . . shit! She needed to get Nedley!

She snatched her Stetson from the desk and practically ran the ten feet to the Sheriff's office where she barely knocked before throwing open the door.

"Sheriff! A call, came over the radio, shots fired down at the surplus store on Maple."

She was shocked at how steady her voice sounded. She looked down at her hands, and the were steady too. Damn, she was made for this.

Nedley made his way around his desk, grabbing his own black Stetson off the hook by the door.

"Prolly just some crazy redneck decided he couldn't wait until he got home to shoot his new gun. Although, you never know with Wynonna back in town."

She nodded as if she knew exactly what he was talking about, although honestly, she had no idea what the eldest Earp had to do with any of this.

"You take your cruiser, follow me to the surplus store and we'll check this out." He turned to face her, finger pointed at her face. "Remember what I said? About not getting killed?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Good, don't forget it. Word around town is you've started dating Waverly Earp. She may look small, but I have no doubt that she'd pull that shotgun of hers on me if I let you get killed."

Her cheeks heated at the mention of Waverly, but she kept silent.

He took a few steps forward before whirling around again.

"You got your bulletproof vest on?"

"Yes, Sir."

"See, I knew I liked you for a reason, Haught. Smart kid."

He turned back again, and she followed him to the parking lot, mentally going through the standard procedure for a shots fired situation.

Maybe Purgatory would turn out to be an interesting town after all.

 _ **As always, comments and critiques are always welcome! Come talk to me on Tumblr! - Jedifighterpilot2727**_


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Whew! This one is a long one guys! I hope you guys enjoy! A little bit of cannon, a little bit of new! Let me know what you think!**

She followed Nedley in her cruiser, mind racing through the protocols for an active shooter and hostage negotiation tactics.

 _Probably nothing to worry about. Probably just some crazy hick getting a little too excited and waving his gun around._

 _Probably_

But still, she had her suspicions.

Suspicions that were confirmed when she saw Agent Dolls' SUV parked at the curb half a block down from the surplus store.

Her pulse pounded in her ears, but she didnt feel anything but calm. She went through a mental checklist of her uniform and utitlity belt before stepping out of the car and walking - ok swaggering- down to where Dolls, Wynonna, and the Sheriff stood in the street staring down at the surplus store.

Before she had a chance to get close, the Sheriff stepped back towards her,obviously irritated.

"What's going on?"

"Dolls confirmed what we heard on the way over here. There is an active shooter, he's one of several perps, and they've taken hostages."

"What do we do? Are we gonna call in there and see what their demands are?"

Nedley rolled his eyes.

"We-" he gestured between them, "aren't going to do anything."

"But Sheriff! We can't just let them take hostages! We have to at least try to-"

He held up his hands placatingly.

"I offered our services and I was told they weren't needed. We're to stand down unless G-man over there lets us do anything."

"But Sheriff-"

"Look, Haught, I get it, I do. But the thing you gotta learn about being a cop in a small town is that sometimes a bigger fish comes and tells you you're not important. It doesn't mean you're not important, just means you have to let them treat you like you aren't. Or you can fight an uphill battle for respect- personally, I'm waiting it out. I'll have something Dolls needs one day; but for now, we're on the sidelines."

They turned to see Wynonna walking tentatively towards the store, hands held high.

She instinctively reached for her gun, trying to provide cover for whatever crazy plan was taking place.

"What's she doing? This isn't protocol."

"Knowing Wynonna, she probably hasn't even read the protocol." Nedley gritted out, rifle raised about the door of his SUV. "Don't know why G-man is letting her call the shots though."

A greasy looking man snatched Wynonna inside and the lowered their guns, but she still stayed on high alert, straining to hear the conversation when Dolls' phone rang.

 _Outside the Ghost River Triangle? What significance did that have?_

She didn't have much time to ponder, because a few short minutes later, the door to the store opened again, this time what she assumed to be hostages filing out.

No Wynonna.

She released a breath she didn't know she'd been holding and holstered her gun, walking over to where Dolls was leaned against his SUV. Nedley may have been content to wait for further orders, but something felt off about the entire situation, and she'd be damned if she just sat back and watched the cards fall where they may.

"What's the plan, Deputy Marshall?"

"We surround the store, you get a clear shot, let me know."

She nodded. "Alright."

"We hear shots, we go in. Oh, call Waverly and let her that her sister is in a situation."

She wanted to bristle at the delegation to secretarial duties, but she thought Wavelry might want to hear the bad news from a friendly voice.

Her eyes passed over the road, looking for anything that might help them.

"Hey," a vehicle down the street caught her eye. "Isn't that Champ's truck?"

Dolls' brow crinkled in confusion.

"Waverly's boyfriend?"

"Ex-boyfriend." She harshly corrected, missing the knowing look he gave her.

She walked back to her cruiser and leaned back against it, giving her a full view of the proceedings while still affording some privacy for the no doubt awkward conversation she was about to have with Waverly.

She pulled their text conversation from last night and clicked Waverly's number - suddenly more anxious about a phone call with the pretty girl than she had been about facing down an armed gunman.

The phone rang six times before it went to voice-mail.

Her heart plummeted to her boots.

She hoped Waverly wasn't in the building as well, surely Dolls would know if she-

The beep sounded and she was left scrambling for words, distracted by her own thoughts.

"Waverly, this is Nicole. Not calling for a good reason, unfortunately. I'm here at the surplus store with Agent Dolls and Sheriff Nedley. Dolls wanted me to let you that Wynonna is inside and being held hostage. She uh, she traded herself for some civilians. There's been reports of shots fired, but that was before Wynonna went 's really all I know. Oh, Champ's truck is here so he might be in there too."

She paused for a moment, debating her next words.

"I hope you're okay."

 _'And not doing something stupid, like your sister._

That's what she wanted to say, but she didn't. If she had the chance to trade her life for a few hostages, she couldn't say she wouldn't do the same.

"Just uh, call me when you get this. And know that if I can do something to help Wynonna, I will. I promise."

She pressed to end the call and groaned.

Voicemail was not the optimal way to tell someone that their sister was in a life or death situation.

A car pulled up beside her.

"Hey, what's going on? I need to get through here!" A voice yelled out the window, and she turned, hands dropping to her belt.

"Sorry, folks, this road is closed off."

"What for?"

She quickly debated her options. She could hedge around the truth, but in a small town like this, everyone would know what really happened before happy hour at Shorty's was over.

"There's an armed robbery in progress, we don't have all of the details to release to the public, but we're not allowing through traffic on this road, you'll have to go around."

"When's it gonna be back open?"

"Not exactly sure, ma'am."

The woman sighed dramatically before reversing her car and turning around.

She shook her head. She loved interacting with the public, but sometimes, she just really, really wondered about people.

There was a commotion back at the store, and she turned to see Dolls and the Sheriff with their guns drawn, trained on the group of people shuffling out of the store. Wynonna was in front, gun to her head, followed by Champ, Shorty, and two guys who must have been the robbers.

This did not look good.

"Anyone with a badge follows us, and they all die!" one of the robbers shouted.

"Deputy," Dolls called out, "did they find what they were looking for?"

"Yeah," Wynonna's voice was suprisingly steady. "A loveless heart, but don't sweat it, I'm gonna kill these sons of bitches with my bear hands."

They all watched as the group got into the van and it started up.

"Can I at least shoot out the goddamn tires?" she heard Nedley ask.

"Yeah, if you want them to die now, go ahead."

She almost rolled her eyes Dolls' response, he didn't have to be so gruff all the time. She jogged over, squinting at the van.

"What, we're just letting them go?"

She didn't know exactly what they could do, but they had to do something, right?

"No."

Dolls' voice was firm, his pistol trained on the van as it started to pull away from the curb. She drew her Glock and tracked the van as it pulled out.

Everything inside of her screamed to jump in her cruiser and peel out after the van, but she knew she would only be putting Wynonna's life at greater risk. She wondered if she should call Waverly with an update, but she shuddered at the thought. Surely Dolls had a back up plan. I mean he wouldn't just let a band of criminals drive off with his only agent without a plan. Or at least she hoped for Wynonna's sake that he wouldn't. And she really hoped that it was a plan she could help with.

She needed to _do_ something. There was adrenaline pumping through her veins that was begging to be used for something more than just standing around waiting on something to happen.

The Deputy Marshall looked between her and Nedley.

"Why don't you clear the scene."

She felt herself deflate.

She was being relegated to cleanup?

Top of her class at the academy, and she was only allowed to do cleanup.

She should have taken that FBI job.

She followed Nedley to the cars to call for Carol, the sole member of the town's forensic crew. The big city would probably send their own team, but Carol was the best, and she would want to be here. On the way back to the store, she noticed Dolls' staring down at Wynonna's gun and she marked the significance, jotting it down in her memory as another clue as to the weird goings on around the town of Purgatory.

She hesitated, and then walked over.

"You know, I can help. If you need another set of hands, or eyes."

He looked almost sad.

"A Black Badge Agent captured is a Black Badge problem."

"Champ and Shorty are civilians, they-"

"Will be just fine, something tells me these guys are after Wynonna."

"And I'm saying I can help you-"

"And I appreciate the offer, but I've got it under control."

She stared at him for a long second before tipping her head and walking toward the store.

Maybe she'd wear him down eventually.

The entry way to the store looked relatively untouched, but Nedley was standing by a smashed display case, glaring at the glass shards covering the floor.

"We'll need to get Bill to get us a list of what he had in here, make sure nothin's missing."

"Looks more like the aftermath of a brawl than an attempt to get something out of the case, otherwise they'd just break the glass and not the whole case."

Nedley looked at her, eyes narrowed.

"Well, look at you, Rookie, you might be worth your salt after all."

She grinned and clasped her hands to her belt, careful not to touch anything at she looked around the store.

There was a giant hole in the drywall in the store room, and the door to a safe on the other side was swung open.

"Hey, Sheriff! I think I found what they were after."

Glancing down, she saw body lying in a puddle of dark blood. She knew it was futile, but she bent down, pressing her fingers against his neck for a pulse.

Nothing.

It was too soon for decomposition to have started, but he still reeked, cheap whiskey, sweat, grime, and the metallic tinge of blood - all mingling together to create a nauseating aroma. He looked like one of the bad guys at least, she didn't recognize him from around town, although she'd have to check with the Sheriff to be sure.

There was a long gouge just under his sternum that was no doubt the cause of death, and she found herself wondering what had split the group up to the point that they were willing to kill each other. The wound was large, too large to be a pocket knife, and she made a mental not to look for any hunting knives lying around that might match the wound.

"Poor bastard, although I guess it serves him right, breaking in like this." Nedley's voice broke through her mental CSI.

"No honor among thieves."

She stood and followed the Sheriff to the vault, checking her hands for blood before wiping them on her pants.

"Whatever it was they were after, they must have gotten it from here."

"A loveless heart." she murmured thoughtfully.

Nedley looked at her questioningly and she clarified.

"That's what Wynonna said they were after."

"Figures it'd be something off the wall like that. Things were quiet before Wynonna got back in town. Now that she's here it's all gone to shit. Why couldn't we keep the good Earp and make the crazy one stay away?"

Her heart constricted at the mention of Waverly.

"Speaking of Waverly, should I call her? Give her an update?"

"Look, kid, I know this whole relationship between you two is pretty new, so I'm assuming you haven't seen Waverly mad yet."

She shook her head.

"Well, she may seem nice and sweet, but you piss her off and you'll see why even the sweetest Earp is a little scary. That girl has so many police reports filed on her from the hussies that Champ brought home, it's a wonder she's never actually been arrested."

"She had the police called on her? For what?"

"There were several . . . occasions where Champ would get too drunk at Shorty's, and he'd take some girl up to Waverly's room above the bar. She'd come home and catch them and, well, let's just say that Waverly is one hell of a shot with a shotgun."

Nicole's jaw dropped.

"She'd shoot them?"

"No, she'd miss. On purpose, but it'd still scare the shit out of whatever girl he had up there. Then of course they'd call me and complain."

She felt her respect for Waverly go up exponentially as her respect for Champ went down.

As if she had any respect for him left.

"What did you do?"

"Wrote out a report, never did anything with 'em, but it kept the peace. My point is, if Agent Dolls is gonna call the shots, he can call Waverly too. No need for you to face her wrath, besides we have our hands full here."

"Yes, sir. Don't think I wanna face down Waverly's shotgun any time soon."

The clean up took most of the afternoon, probably because she followed Carol around with a notepad, taking notes on everything. She had seen it all in the academy, but this was her first real crime scene with her first real dead body.

She couldn't deny she was a little excited, despite the grim circumstances.

As they were packing up, the call came in that Wynonna and Champ were safe, but Shorty hadn't made it. The town was holding a vigil at the bar, so she excused herself from meeting back at the office, and headed for Shorty's instead.

She wasn't sure what to expect, besides a bunch of drunk rednecks. Shorty had been well loved, and not just because he supplied the town with alcohol. She knew they'd be torn up over what happened, especially Waverly.

Oh god, Waverly.

This would be the first time they were together in public since their decision to 'date', and she found herself wondering if she should even show up. She didn't want to embarrass Waverly or make things difficult for her, but in the end, the need to comfort the other girl won out.

The crowd inside the bar was actually rather subdued, the tables full of small groups sipping beer and reminiscing. There were candles set out and the lights were dimmed - if she hadn't known better, she'd think it was classy joint.

She spotted Waverly beside the counter, and she headed over, only to stop dead in her tracks as she saw Champ approach.

The rodeo cowboy wrapped Waverly up in a hug and for a moment her heart stopped in her chest, only to start again as Waverly pushed him away.

"You know, Waves, I been thinking -this whole brush with death just shows that we gotta get back together."

"Champ, Shorty _died_. I don't want to talk to you about getting back together. In fact, I just don't want to get back together with you period."

"You don't understand, I'm a changed man, I won't cheat on you - I'll be the model boyfriend."

"Until what, the next cute girl comes along?"

She felt her hopes of ever actually dating Waverly start to sink until she heard Waverly continue.

"Even if I did believe you, we're not getting back together. I have feelings for someone -"

"Right," Champ crossed his arms. "Officer What's-her-face."

"Haught, her name is Haught."

She wasn't certain if Waverly's words were just for show, or if there was some chance that she actually meant what she said; but her cheeks flushed regardless. She figured now was as good a time as any to make her presence known, and she stepped up beside Waverly, protective hand placed on the other girl's back.

"You okay, Waverly?"

Waverly looked at her, tears glistening in her eyes.

"You're here?"

"Of course, I came as soon as I heard."

Champ cleared his throat and Nicole turned, leveling a glare in his direction.

"Champ, glad to see you made it out ok."

"Ok? I pretty much saved everybody."

"Really? I heard Agent Dolls staged quite the rescue, didn't say he had any help."

Champ rolled his eyes, but she could see the blush rising in his cheeks.

"Can I get a beer at least?" He whined.

"You know where the taps are, get it yourself." Waverly mouthed off.

Once he had stomped away, Waverly turned to her.

"I got your message, it was really sweet."

"I don't think a message telling you that your sister is in danger can be defined as sweet."

Waverly snorted, a half smile gracing her face before she dissolved into tears. The shorter girl lunged at her, arms wrapping around her waist in a bear hug, and after a moment's hesitation she brought her own arms up to wrap around Waverly's shoulders, gently rubbing the other girl's back.

"I just -I just can't believe he's gone! He was like family! And now-"

Sobs shook Waverly's shoulders, and she could feel wet tears soaking her shirt. She could see everyone starting to stare at them, and she suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to get Waverly out of the limelight.

"Come on, let's go outside."

Waverly nodded and she let her outside where the sun was just starting to sink over the tops of the town buildings.

"Sorry about our date." Waverly's voice was watery and congested, and she resisted the urge to wrap the girl in another hug.

"Seriously? You're worried about ruining our -" She lowered her voice -"fake date?"

"Right, fake." Waverly said softly.

"Nobody could see this happening, we'll make the date up. But now, I just want to help you feel better - whatever you need. We can go back inside, or we can sit out here and you can talk it out, or we can just be quiet, or I can go punch Champ in the face . . ."

Waverly giggled, a smile ghosting across her face.

"Maybe we could sit just sit? And you could stay?"

"Of course."

They walked down to where was a half wall of brick in front of the bar and sat facing the setting sun. She wasn't sure exactly what to do with her hands, so she rested them on her thighs, shocked when Waverly picked up the one closest to her and threaded their fingers together.

Silence settled over them for a long while, neither one of them speaking, the only communication the gentle squeezes that Waverly gave her hand. It almost dark before Waverly spoke, the words tumbling out of her.

"My dad died when I was six, and Curtis and Gus took me in and raised me - Shorty was their best friend, and he kinda became like my uncle. He was just always there, ya know? When I needed a job, he let me work in the bar, and when I wanted to move out on my own, he let me stay in one of his rooms. Family doesn't always stick around, at least mine didn't. But not Shorty, Shorty was always there." Waverly stopped to take a breath. "And now he's gone, all because of this stupid curse."

"Curse? I thought he had a heart attack?"

"Right, the curse of heart disease."

It didn't sound right, it sounded like there was something more, but she didn't push it, instead filing it away for future reference.

"Thanks," Waverly's voice was quiet. "for letting me vent, it means a lot."

"Whatever you need, Wave."

Waverly smiled at the nickname, and leaned over to bump their shoulders together.

"You called me Wave."

"Is that ok?"

"Sounds good when you say it."

Their eyes met, and she wanted to say some words of platitude, something to make Waverly feel better, but she knew there was nothing she could say to make it better. Nothing she could say to bring Shorty back.

She brought the hand that wasn't clasped in Waverly's up to frame the other girl's face, thumb brushing at the streaks of tears.

"Hey! There you are, I've been looking all over."

They startled apart as Wynonna plopped down next to Waverly, a bottle of whiskey in her hand.

Nicole started to get up, but Waverly's hand clenched hers tighter.

"Stay." She pleaded softly.

Nicole nodded and leaned over to look at Wynonna.

"Glad you made it outta there, I was worried about you."

"Yeah, Dolls said you were all ready to come after me, so thanks."

"Hey, I couldn't let you just go and get yourself killed."

"Gonna take more than a couple of Rev- er- robbers to kill me."

"Still," Waverly interjected. "I'd appreciate if you didn't make it a habit of offering yourself up for hostages."

"You got it, Babygirl. No more offering myself for hostages"

Wynonna took a swig of whiskey before offering the bottle to her sister who took a sip, wincing slightly, and passed it to Nicole.

She hesitated, she probably shouldn't, but she was off duty, and something said this was rite of passage; so chugged a shot's worth and passed it back.

"Should we pour some out for Shorty?" Waverly wondered aloud.

"Pfft, he would probably come back and haunt us for wasting his whiskey." She snatched the bottle back and took a long pull as Waverly laughed.

"Yeah, probably." Waverly grabbed the bottle back and took another swig. "Guess we'll just have to drink it for him."

Nicole was next, and this drink went down smoother that the first. She could feel the heat settle in her belly, and it wasn't just from where she could feel Waverly's leg pressed against hers.

"He died a hero, you know; he saved my life." Wynonna's voice was choked.

At first Nicole thought she might be about to witness a full breakdown but then she continued.

"Old bastard probably wanted to hold it over my head, get back at me for stealing so much of his booze during high school."

Waverly laughed again. "You did still a lot of his booze, remember when you managed to hide a whole case of beer in our room?"

Wynonna groaned. "Ughh, I got in soo much trouble! Shorty never let me hear the end of it. 'At least take the cheap stuff, Wynonna.'"

They went back and forth, sharing stories about Shorty, and Nicole sat, content to listen, Waverly's hand still gripping hers. She had a lot to think about tomorrow, a lot to work through; but tonight she was more willing to be here for Waverly.

Besides, there still might be a chance to punch Champ later.

 **Comments and Critiques are always welcome!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Waverly wakes up in a . . . compromising situation.**

Waking up after a night of heavy drinking was not high on Wavery's list of favorite things to do.

In fact, it wasn't on there at all, more like the opposite.

So when she woke up the morning after Shorty's death, she was not her best self.

Dry mouth?

Check.

Slight headache?

Check.

Extremely thirsty?

Check.

Nauseated by the thought of any kind of breakfast that didn't consist of a a plate full of greasy bacon?

Check.

No memory of how she ended up naked in the same bed as infuriatingly sexy Nicole Haught?

Check.

She wasn't naked per se, she still had on her bra and panties, but for all intents and purposes, she was 'undressed'. And there was a gigantic chunk of her night that was missing from her memory, so she had no way to say that she hadn't been completely naked at one point.

And that was definitely Purgatory Sheriff's department's newest officer laying on the other side of the bed, looking unfairly adorable with her mouth hanging slightly open in slumber.

What the hell had she gotten herself into?

Ignoring the part of her body that screamed at her to lie completely still and not disrupt the precarious truce that she was fighting to keep with the contents of her stomach, she peeked under the covers, careful not to disturb her sleeping mate.

Nicole was slightly more dressed than Waverly, a tank top and boxer briefs, so that made her feel better, but only slightly.

Why had she let Wynonna talk her into all those drinks?

Right around the time the second bottle of whiskey was popped was when her memories started to get fuzzy. Wynonna had done the brunt of the drinking, but still, she and Nicole had downed quite a few. More than her usual at least.

WAY more than her usual if her lack of clothes was anything to go by.

She should have been more careful, she knew she had a tendency to get a little horny when she drank, but hadn't thought it would be enough to get her in bed with Nicole - not when she was so nervous about the whole thing in general. Thinking about kissing the woman made her want to internally combust, from nerves or attraction she wasn't sure, but she had no idea how she had made it past that to sleeping with -

There was a soft snore beside her, and she turned her head to see that Nicole had shifted onto her side, one hand acting as a rest for her head, the other clutching at her pillow.

Ugh.

Was this what it was going to be like from now on? Constantly barraged by feelings of overwhelming attraction?

She definitely had the hots for Nicole.

And probably just women in general; but that was kinda hard to think about when the world's most adorable (yet somehow still sexy? How was that possible?), human being was curled up two feet away from her.

And now she had probably fucked up her chances of merging a friendship into something more because after last night there probably was no friendship. Nicole probably wanted nothing to do with the crazy Earp girl that jumped into bed at the first taste of alcohol.

God, she was starting to sound more and more like Wynonna every day.

Part of her was a little disappointed though, she had to admit. Her first time having sex with a woman and she couldn't even remember it.

Wait.

If she couldn't remember it, then maybe Nicole wouldn't remember either.

Maybe, if she snuck out before the officer woke up then she could just pretend like nothing had happened. Like she hadn't just slept with her kind of, sort of, maybe, probable - okay, DEFINITE - crush.

Who she also happened to be pretending to date.

Shit, they hadn't even had their first 'date' yet.

This whole mess was all kinds of backwards.

She had went from not knowing she was gay to having sex with her fake girlfriend in the space of like two weeks.

If there was a record for fastest self-discovery, she was certainly on her way to making it.

She shifted slightly, trying to get out of bed without waking Nicole, but she froze when she felt a heavy weight settle over her feet.

Her eyes shot down to see a gigantic ball of fur curled on the blanket, and she fought the urge to scream.

The creature shifted and a pair of green eyes gazed up at her.

A cat?

She didn't have a cat!

Did she?

Oh my god, did she get drunk and adopt a cat?

She always wanted a cat.

Wait.

Where was she?

As much as she could without disrupting her bed mate, she looked around, craning her neck to check out the room.

The bed was covered in a soft purple duvet, and the furniture was nice, but mismatched. The walls were bare, but there was a picture frame on the night stand. She squinted in the soft light and made out a family picture - an older couple sitting was surrounded by a smiling crowd - red hair scattered amongst them. She could barely make out Nicole, squeezed between a woman who bore uncanny resemblance to the officer - save for her blonde hair - and young man with spiky red hair and an ear to ear grin.

She felt a smile spread across her own face, and she felt herself wondering what it would be like to have a family like that. One where everyone smiled and took family pictures - where everyone was still alive; no revenants, no curse.

She shook her head to clear it. Back to the plan.

She was obviously in Nicole's apartment, and that was obviously Nicole's cat that she vaguely remembered the officer mentioning last night. As carefully as possible, she slid out from under the covers, maneuvering strategically to avoid upsetting the cat. The bed springs squeaked annoyingly, but a quick glance backwards confirmed that Nicole was still zonked.

Her head pounded and the world spun slightly as she got to her feet, and she found herself cursing Wynonna once again. She spotted her clothes from last night strewn around the room, and she shuffled about collecting them, trying to avoid throwing up or waking Nicole - both of which did not sound like fun prospects.

Hurriedly, she pulled on her top and shimmied into her pants. She was sure she looked like a complete mess, but she would freshen up at the station. She gave the room one last look, eyes lingering on the figure still curled in the bed, before slipping out; hoping desperately that she would be able to salvage some part of her budding relationship with the Officer.

Even if it was just friendship.

At least, that was the mantra that she kept repeating to herself.

Over and over and over and over . . .

 **I know it was short, but life has been hectic and I really wanted to get something out!**

 **Follow me on tumblr - Jedifighterpilot2727 - my social skills are shit, but we can fangirl together!**

 **Let me know what you think!**


	7. Chapter 7

**More of the after effects of the trio's night of drinking . . .**

 **Have I mentioned that Wynonna and Nicole are my brotp? Cause they are.**

Waverly had to walk from Nicole's in town apartment to the Sheriff's Department, as she couldn't really remember where she had left her Jeep. She hoped she had left it at Shorty's last night, and she probably should have stopped there first to check, but a hungover Waverly was a single-minded Waverly. Besides, the streets were still a little too dark for her to feel comfortable traipsing around Purgatory in her condition - namely, without a shotgun.

The Sherrif's Department was deserted, save for the lone deputy nodding off at the front desk - it really was a pretty quiet town, save for the whole undead invasion hell-bent on destroying anyone with the last name 'Earp' issue.

She stormed into the Black Badge office - well, as much as one could 'storm' when one was more hungover than a wanna-be Irishman the day after St. Patrick's Day.

Wynonna was passed out on the conference table, leather jacket draped across her in lieu of a blanket, an unflattering line of drool hanging from her lips. Waverly staggered to the table and pulled back a chair. wincing as it screeched against the floor. She didn't even have to look up to know that Wynonna was still asleep, her sister could sleep through the apocalypse; especially when she was sleeping off a hangover.

Wobbly, she sunk into the chair, propping her elbows on the table and burying her face in her hands. Her brain was racing through a million different thoughts, none of them helping to ease her anxiety.

She just needed to sit for like two seconds, and -

She must have fallen asleep, because next thing she knew Wynonna's voice was startling her awake.

"Babygirl?"

She glanced up to see Wynonna studying her, drool gone and sunlight pouring in the windows.

"You ok?"

She returned her head to her hands and grunted, not wanting to risk shaking her head.

"Drink a little too much last night?" The table rocked as Wynonna lowered herself to the ground.

Waverly nodded, and it was a mistake, her stomach roiling. She shot up from the chair and ran to the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet before she lost the contents of her stomach, which admittedly wasn't much. She fumbled for the flush handle, staring blankly into the water as it swirled around the bowl.

Her stomach felt better, but her mind was still racing, trying to remember exactly what had happened the night before. Finally, she pushed herself to her feet, head still pounding. Wynonna was waiting on her right outside the stall, glass of water in hand, but she pushed past her sister to brace herself on the sink.

"I told you two you wouldn't be able to keep up with me, but you just had to try."

She leaned forward until her forehead thudded against the mirror over the sink, silently cursing past Waverly for thinking that she could keep up with Wynonna when it came to pounding back whiskey. She groaned loudly, and Wynonna's hand came up to rub circles on her back.

"It's all good, a little alcohol poisoning is good for the soul."

She pulled back to glare at her sister in the mirror, but Wynonna only grinned before setting down the glass of water on the sink and producing a wrapped toothbrush from somewhere.

"Here, brush your teeth, you'll feel better."

She groaned, but complied, the minty foam helping to calm her stomach and ridding her of her dry mouth.

"Thanks."

Wynonna grinned, white foam spilling over her lips as she worked her own brush around her molars. She pointed to the glass, and Waverly noticed a foil pack of Advil sitting next to it.

She popped the pills, waiting for her stomach to protest, but it never came.

Wynonna clapped her shoulder. "You'll feel better in no time, babygirl. Hey, how's Haught? She look as rough as you or can she handle her liquor?"

Waverly avoided her sister's eyes guiltily, brushing past her to the main office.

"What, the fake girlfriends not speaking this morning? You sure were awfully chummy last night!"

When she didn't respond, realization dawned in Wynonna's eyes.

"Wait, you left before she woke up this morning, didn't you?"

She rummaged through the backpack of clothes that Wynonna left at Black Badge for when she had a nasty run in with Revenants, or when she got jelly donut on her shirt, or when she was too drunk to go home and change.

"She wasn't exactly coherent before I left, no."

"Damn! Hot and cold, huh? I thought she was your new best friend!"

"Hot and cold?" She ignored the drumbeat in her head, pulling out a tank top that looked like it would fit.

"Yeah, last night you guys were inseparable! It was kind of adorable really."

"Adorable?" She slipped her top from the night before off and the new shirt on.

"Are you just going to repeat everything I say?"

"No?"

"Are you ok?"

"I don't know."

She collapsed into one of the chairs as a thought struck her.

"Wait, how did you know I was at Nicole's?"

Wynonna studied her, and it was like those piercing blue eyes were staring right into her soul. It was a long moment before the elder Earp barked a laugh.

"Damn, babygirl, you really don't remember last night, do you?"

She fought down the sense of overwhelming sense of frustration that threatened to overtake her. Her head was pounding, she had an uneasy peace treaty with her stomach, and she had probably just ruined her chances with the only girl in town dumb enough to possibly date her. Not that Nicole was dumb, the opposite, really but -

"No, Wynonna, I don't." She snapped.

Wynonna held up her hands, backing away to stand next to the coffee maker - which was currently making half dead gurgling noises.

"Well, grumpy-pants, we were all at Haughtpants' - hey! That's what I'm gonna call you guys now! Haughtpants and Grumpy-pants!"

She laughed at her own joke, and Waverly glowered at her.

"Ok, ok, chill! after we all closed down Shorty's, we went back to Nicole's place - which by the way, her cat loves me; we're total besties - and then after a few games of poker I cut outta there and you guys stayed."

"Oh." She leaned on the table, grateful that her headache had at least started to ease.

Silver linings.

"Oh?" Wynonna passed her a cup of black sludge that smelled similar to coffee.

"Yeah, I just - "

There was a knock at the door and she jumped, watching as Wynonna moved to investigate.

Nicole was standing on the other side of the door, coffee carrier balanced in one hand.

She looked, well, stunning for lack of a better word; especially for someone who had probably matched Waverly drink for drink last night.

She was pretty sure that _she_ didn't look like that right now.

Nicole's hair was perfectly plaited into her signature braid, and her eyes were bright and sparkling. The top two buttons on her uniform shirt were popped open, and Waverly couldn't help the way her eyes lingered on the exposed skin of her neck.

The hand that wasn't holding the coffee carrier was gripping her belt, slender fingers wrapped around the buckle.

She felt her draw drop and her mouth go dry again.

"Haughtpants!" Wynonna cried out, extending a hand towards the officer. Their fingers met in a complicated dance, and Waverly found herself wondering at what point last night that they had been coordinated enough to create a secret handshake.

"Earp!" Nicole looked over Wynonna's shoulder and locked eyes with Waverly, left lid dropping in a wink. "Hey, Wave."

Ummmm. . . had she missed something? From what she could piece together, she had gotten extremely drunk, ended up in bed with her crush, ran away before said crush could wake up, and now Nicole was . . . smiling at her?

She lifted a hand in a small wave. "Hey, Nicole."

The redhead picked one of the coffees out of the carrier and handed it to her. "Thought you might need some this morning, coffee here isn't so good."

"Oh, umm, thank you."

She took a sip, lots of cream, hint of caramel; just how she liked it.

"How did you?"

"Lucky guess." Nicole winked again, and she felt her heart speed up.

"Please tell me one of those is for me?" Wynonna begged.

"Right here, black, just like your soul."

Wynonna snickered, offering up her hand for a high five.

"Nice one, Haughtpants."

"Oh! Wave!" Nicole fumbled in her back pocket. "You left this at my apartment." She handed over Waverly's phone. "Musta missed it when you headed out this morning."

"Uhh, yeah, thanks."

So Nicole definitely knew that she had slept over.

And obviously she remembered more than her about what had happened last night.

And she had woken up in the same state of undress as Waverly.

So she was just ok with all that?

She didn't have much time to ponder because Dolls was brushing past Nicole on his way into the office.

"Officer Haught, what have I told you about coming into my office?"

"Oh, sorry - I was just leaving."

Wynonna slung an arm around Nicole's shoulders.

"Now Dolls, why can't we just let Haught be apart of the team? She's a good cop, good head on her shoulders."

"No."

"But-"

"No."

"Hey, it's cool," Nicole interrupted with an easy smile. "I think Nedley's got me going out on patrol in a minute anyway." She raised the solitary cup left in the holder in salute. "Wave? Maybe we can do dinner later? Text me."

"Huh?" _Dinner? Dinner?_ "Oh , uh, yeah, yeah, I will. Thanks again for the coffee."

"Anytime."

There was that smile again, that breathtaking smile that made her heart be faster and her stomach twist - but not in the bad way, in the very, good way - and then she was gone, the door closing behind her.

As soon as the door closed, the atmosphere in the room changed completely.

"Way to go Dolls, let the one good cop here leave."

"What's that supposed to mean, Earp?" Dolls's voice was hard, and Waverly felt herself cringing as she sipped her coffee.

"I think you know _exactly_ what I'm talking about Deputy Marshall." Wynonna was leaning over the table obviously braced for a fight.

"Well, I don't, so why don't you spell it out for me?"

"For starters, I don't think that she would let an innocent man die for a science experiment."

"I didn't have a choice."

"You did have a choice, and you made the wrong one!" Wynonna was yelling now, and Waverly could feel the edges of her headache returning.

"Sometimes, difficult decisions have to be made." Dolls' voice was hard.

"Yeah, well, maybe I don't want to work alongside someone who can make decisions like that without batting an eye."

Ok, so she probably should have been more concerned about what they were arguing over, it _sounded_ important.

To be perfectly honest though, she was still distracted by the slight hint she had caught of Nicole's perfume. Was that lavender and . . . vanilla? Maybe something sweeter. . .

"Guys, if you don't need me I'm just gonna . . ." She jerked her thumb towards the door, but neither her sister nor the Deputy Marshall were paying her any attention. She grabbed her coffee and slipped out, Dolls and Wynonna still yelling behind her.

They didn't need her.

And if they did, they could find her.

The coffee seemed to be settling her stomach, and the Advil had worked wonders on her headache, now all that was bothering her was the weird jittery feeling in her chest that she was pretty sure had nothing to do with the amount of alcohol that she had consumed last night.

"Waverly!" Nedley's voice shocked her out of her inner dilemma. "Glad to see you back around. I was afraid yesterday might scare you off. It's good to have you around, you balance out the Earp weirdness around here. Wynonna's a little . . ."

He paused, and the sound of Wynonna and Dolls screaming at each other filled the silence.

"Well," He shrugged. "You know."

She laughed awkwardly. Sometimes she wished _she_ could be the crazy Earp and just let herself . . . be. Without worrying what anyone else thought.

"Hey, since it's pretty obvious they don't need you with Black Badge today, you should ride along with Haught, maybe you'll get a taste for real police work."

"Oh, ummm. . ."

"I mean no funny business," He reached a hand to scratch the back of his neck. "I know you guys are dating and all, just ahh, she could show you some police procedure and you could show her how to get around some of our more rural areas. Get's kinda confusing out there if you're not familiar with the area. Plus, you know, everybody loves you, and it'd be nice if everybody loved Haught. Not that she couldn't win them over herself, I mean she charmed you; just ah-"

She caught a glimpse of Nicole headed outside, her white Stetson contrasting sharply with her red hair, long legs carrying her towards the door at a swift pace.

Her heart thudded, and her brain was sending the signal to her mouth before she even computed what she was about to say.

"You know, Sheriff, that's actually a really great idea."

"Oh, well, good, good." He seemed shocked speechless at her sudden agreement.

She strode after Nicole, eyes locked on her target.

Nedley's voice called after her.

"Just don't shoot anybody, Waverly!"

 ***runs and hides***

 **I know, I know!**

 **Sorry?**

 **Also, Nedley may have been a little out of character, I just have this thing for everyone in Purgatory absolutely adoring Waverly. And Nicole to be honest. I think they are going to be like the most loved couple of Purgatory in season 2.**

 **Which just got upped to 12 episodes! yay!**

 **Pretty please let me know what you think!**


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